Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

I've never been involved in government pensions, (not state pension), or local authority pensions, so probably shouldn't comment, but I heard it spelt out today what this would actually mean and it sounded quite sensible.

Apparently ATM there are lots of small investments of different ones all scattered around and basically achieving less than they would do if they were consolidated and invested as a larger lump sum, I cant see why they are running so many different schemes.

 

I think you miss the point, working behind the scenes would probably achieve far less than him/her giving a big publicity push to these issues.

If they donated a million each, it wouldn't go far, but get the public involved and it makes much more.
That's why all these charities like to have some well known character/celebrity as a figure head.

 

I imagine most Royals feel pretty useless without having a "cause" to put their name to. I imagine they also believe in what they say and charities and organisations do like to have a royal figurehead.
Unfortunately, like many of of our politicians and big business leaders, they live a privileged and completely different lifestyle from the average citizen so have no realistic understanding of the many issues which affect most of us.
I don't follow "Royal" news but the only thing which sticks in my mind is that I understand Charles reduced the heating in Buckingham Palace when he took over

 

Celebrities feed off the oxygen of publicity that fronting charities gives them. You could say celebrities need charities and vice versa. Fair enough. All I'm saying is don't use the platform for gesture politics or pretending you are some sort of saviour and all will be well (homelessness will be eradicated; domestic abuse will be stopped) now that you have ridden in on your white charger. The reality is both homelessness and domestic abuse are likely to get a lot worse because of the way the wealthy siphon money out of society. If you are part of the problem, you cannot be the solution unless you change what you do and persuade other elites to do the same. And if that's what William had in mind, I'd be the first to applaud him ... but we all know this is not the intention behind his fronting this cause.

 

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I see your point, @Songbird.

Apparently Gary Lineker has "settled" his tax dispute with HMRC out of court. Note the repots do not say "paid". Now, if you or I owed £100 they'd be after us like an Exocet missile ...

Is it me or does Trump seem hugely emboldened by this 2nd (he'd say 3rd, of course) win? His key appointments look a right mish-mash. I hope they can actually do the jobs. The handover from Obama in 2016 created quite a few holes in the smooth running of the system of gov, including (as I understand it) loss of oversight re nuclear waste disposal and storage. I read a book about it. I'll see if I can find the title.

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It was called "The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy".

 

I couldn't care less who the figurehead is, or what their reasons for doing it are.
In the case of Camilla - if her intervention/association highlights it, and prevents another woman [or man] being terrorised, abused and eventually killed by an abusive partner, or ex partner [as is often the case] then that's all that matters.
If someone then suspects a friend, relation or neighbour is in that situation and acts on that, that's what matters. If you think someone you know is in that position - just do something, anything, to help them.

...and then be grateful that you aren't in that situation yourself.

 

I completely agree. Over fifty years ago I was working as the manageress in a shop and a Saturday girl confided in me that she was being sexually assaulted by her father and asked me for help. It was in the days long before Childline and I didn’t have a clue what to say. I suggested the police and was met a “thanks anyway”. I wasn’t exactly naive as two of my class mates at high school had been in the same fix and none of us knew how to help them either. Esther Rantzen brought help to hundreds of thousands of young people. A name that did something positive. She’s now doing her best to get assisted dying on the statute books.

 

I don't disagree with anything you say, @fairygirl. I just object to the pretence domestic abuse is solvable because a member of the very pampered elite states she is going to bring it to an end.

Solving it requires people to be less stressed about debt, housing, etc. Solving it requires reigning in social media so youngsters aren't continually exposed to toxic role models. Solving it requires reducing the gap between richest and poorest across society. All these would impact the wealthy, so no progress is being made at that level, though of course there are many good people involved in vital work within their communities and nationally.

If William said 'Actually, it would be fair for me to pay Inheritance Tax on my father's estate ... so I will", that would get my respect. Raking in riches while spouting homilies does not.

 

@ViewAhead domestic abuse has been with us since the dawn of human time and has been accepted as "normal". social media only serves to highlight it, not make it worse. It's not that long since police regarded a man beating his wife as "a domestic" and not criminal and did nothing.

What is needed is for it to become socially unacceptable and for that we need a fundamental change of mentality in people of both sexes who think mental and physical abuse are the way to maintain their dominance in relationships. I neither like nor admire Camilla and it would be, I think, rather more fruitful for some prominent alpha males to head up campaigns about domestic abuse being a sign of weakness, not strength, but any prominent figurehead that can help change a few primitive mindsets has to be good.

 

In some communities it is seemingly still the case that the male has all the rights and the female has to do whatever is demanded of them, or suffer the consequences.

 

I agree, @Obelix-Vendée, though I think social media has made it worse by exposing young people to so much content they would have had no access to before, and creating echo chambers where attitudes harden.

Indeed, @KT53. Whole countries operate on the premise woman are "belongings".

 

I think SM does have a role to play in the "mental " abuse issue ........ how often do you hear reports of distress caused by stalking/death threats/sexting etc.? Admittedly, many of the platforms are quick to remove/banish the culprits but often too late to help some individuals on the receiving end of such behaviour. In some cases it moves on from virtual to reality.
Human nature needs to change and no single person ( Celeb / royal or otherwise ) is likely to be able to achieve that and any claim otherwise is simply wishful thinking. Sad but true.
I haven't heard/seen the statements attributed to either C or W re the eradication of domestic abuse and homelessness but am aware that the media often mis quotes people for the sake of a headline. I agree with @fairygirl and @Tidemark that keeping it in the public eye is no bad thing tho and the many organisations - and individuals - involved in both issues are to be applauded and deserve our help.

 

And in 1973 we were allowed to have “Rights” here in this country…

 

Women's Rights re employment were certainly not in evidence in the late 1970's/early 1980's. I was refused employment by a well known bank simply because I "might become pregnant and want maternity leave". This despite the fact I had been married for over 12 years, had no children and had no intention of ever doing so. I made this quite clear to the man who was interviewing me. Knowing what the outcome was going to be ( no job ), I asked this chap if he was married - Yes. I asked him if he had children - Yes. I then asked him why he was eligible for a job whilst I was not. He didn't really offer an explanation but his manner said it all.........I'm a man and you're a woman. Equal Rights..........load of crap